402 ARDELD2E. 



lower plumage browner and darker ; the crown is brown, streaked 

 with buff. 



Bill dark brown on culmen, pinkish brown below ; facial skin 

 green; irides yellow; tarsus dull flesh-colour; toes and tibio- 

 tarsal joint pale yellow. 



Length 15 ; tail 1*7; wing5'25; tarsus 1'8 ; bill from gape 2-75. 



Distribution. Throughout South-eastern Asia and the Malay 

 Archipelago to Japan, New Guinea, and North Australia, also io 

 the Seychelles. Found throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, 

 from Sind, where this species breads, to Tenasserim and the 

 Andaman Islands, but rare in most parts of India and only 

 recorded from a few localities. 



Habits, fyc. Those of the genus. Nests have been taken from 

 May to August in various parts of Northern India and in Pegu. 

 The nest is a pad of reeds in the middle of a tussock of grass or a 

 clump of rushes in a swamp ; the eggs, 3 to 5 in number, are pale 

 greenish white, and measure about 1*3 to *95. 



1572. Ardetta cinnamomea. The Chestnut Bittern. 



Ardea cinnamomea, Gm. Syst. Nat. i, p. 643 (1788) ; Hume, N. $ E. 

 p. 622. 



Ardetta cinnamomea, Blyth, Cat. p. 282 ; Jerdon, B. I. iii. p. 755 ; 

 Godw.-Aust. J. A. S. 'B. xxxix, pt. 2, p. 274 ; Hume, S. F. ii, 

 p. 311 ; Fairbank, S. F. iv, p, 263 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 47 ; 

 Oates, ibid, p. 168 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 483 ; St. John, S. F. 

 vii, p. 171 ; Butler, ibid. p. 177 ; Ball, ibid. p. 231 ; Cripps, ibid. 

 p. 308 ; Hume, ibid. p. 490 ; id. Cat. no. 933 ; Doig, S. F. viii, 

 p. 372 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 91 ; Buti-er, ibid. p. 434 ; Reid, S. F. x, 

 p. 76; Hume, ibid. p. 417 ; Oates, B. B. ii, p. 256; Barnes, Birds 

 Bom. p. 384 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 335 ; Oates in Hume's N. $ E. 

 2nd ed. iii, p. 252 ; Barnes, Journ. Bom. N. H. Soc. vi, p. 148 ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 236. 



Ardeiralla cinnamomea, Legge, Birds Ceyl. p. 1162. 



Ldl-bagla, H. ; Khyri-bogla, Beng.; Kuruttu-koku, Tarn. (Ceylon); 

 Metti korowaka, Cing. 



Fig. 98. Head of A. cinnamomea. -|. 



Coloration. Male. "Whole upper surface, with sides of head, 

 wings, and tail, chestnut ; wing-coverts slightly paler ; chin, throat, 

 and lower parts tawny ochreous, with a white stripe on each side 

 of the throat ; a more or less distinct broken brown stripe down 

 middle of fore neck; lower breast-feathers, concealed by long 

 breast-plumes, blackish brown with buff edges. Some birds have 



